Golden State Warriors (8-6) at New Orleans Pelicans (6-7)
Tipoff: Tues. 11/26/2013, 5:00 PM PDT
Location: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA
TV: CSN Bay Area | Radio: KNBR 680 AM
Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors (by @goldenstatenz)
The Golden State Warriors will try to put an end to their three-game losing streak when they face off tonight against the up-and-coming New Orleans Pelicans. The Warriors won all four games against New Orleans last season, and they hope to keep that momentum going tonight. The Pelicans don’t have an overly impressive record, but they have won three out of their last four games, so they should not be overlooked.
This young Pelicans team is led by second-year power forward Anthony Davis, who is one of the most promising and intriguing big mean in the NBA. He’s averaging a team-high 19.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and four blocks per game on 48.9 percent shooting. He’s got great size and length for his position, he’s athletic, and he’s quick for his size. If he continues to develop at the rate that he is now, he could become a superstar in this league in the near future.
The Pelicans have many other talented pieces too. Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon are also key components. The Pelicans traded for Holiday in the offseason. Holiday was an All-Star last season, and he’s averaging 13.8 points, 7.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Gordon, when healthy, can be lethal because of his ability to score. Gordon averages 15.2 points and 1.8 steals per game.
The Pelicans also have several other players on the roster that contribute in many ways such as Ryan Anderson, Al-Farouq Aminu, Jason Smith, and Tyreke Evans who has had to take on a bench role with the Pelicans. Evans hasn’t always been willing to come off the bench, but he has accepted the role this season and has been productive. Evans has been averaging 10.8 points, 3.5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game.
The Warriors are facing a quality team tonight, and they’re going to have to find a way to beat them without two of their key players. Andre Iguodala is still out with his strained left hamstring, and Andrew Bogut will miss tonight’s game after being suspended one game by the NBA for his role in the altercation that occurred in Saturday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
“I’m not happy with it,” Mark Jackson said about Bogut’s suspension at practice yesterday, “But we’ve got to accept it and move on.”
The Warriors are going to have a tough time replacing him tonight because of his defensive dominance, but they’re also going to miss him offensively.
“He’s a big-time defender, and he anchors our defense,” Coach Jackson said. “We’re truly going to miss him and also his abilities to make plays offensively, whether it be screening, whether it be with the basketball. We’re going to miss him. Last year in New Orleans he had a big game offensively where we ran stuff through him for a period of time.”
Keys to the game:
1) David Lee must outplay Anthony Davis: With Andrew Bogut out, David Lee will be expected to guard Davis more. This will be a tough matchup for him given Davis’ athleticism. Davis is also a quality defender, so Lee is going to have to work hard on both ends of the court to have a positive impact in this game.
2) Big game from Nedo and Draymond: With Toney Douglas and Andre Iguodala out and with Kent Bazemore struggling, Nemanja Nedovic is going to be called upon for most of the backup point guard duties. Nedovic played with the Santa Cruz Warriors on Sunday, and he led all scorers with 31 points and shot 4-for-4 from three-point range. If Nedovic can be at least a little productive, this will greatly help the Warriors.
Draymond Green is a defensive stopper. He has successfully guarded small forwards, power forwards, and centers. With Bogut out, Green is going to have to defend Anthony Davis for much of the game, especially if Lee is struggling to keep up with him. Draymond has also shown improvement in his three-point shot this season, so the Warriors will greatly benefit if he can contribute on both ends of the court tonight.
3) All-around game from Barnes: Harrison Barnes has scored in double-digits in six straight games, which is the longest streak of his career. With Iguodala out, Barnes is going to have to contribute more in every statistical category to help his team get a win.
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